http://forward.com/opinion/310522/soundtrack/ Help Us Find The Best New Voices in Jewish Music -

Shavua Tov!

I had a beautiful Shabbat this week, starting with a joyous, sweet Kabbalat gathering with folks at Beta Mikdash. Nate DeGroot and I led a room packed with folks through a mostly songful Kabbalat Shabbat service that began with a niggun and ended, in spite of the heat and the less-than-stellar air conditioner, with everyone singing joyfully. Shabbat consisted of a morning bike ride, an afternoon nap with my Sweetie and a basbeball game in which my team (the Mets) lost.

Now, after Shabbat has ended, I am back to the work of promoting myself and trying to set up work out-of-town and line up students in town.

One of the things I want to share with you is a recent article from The Forward. They are looking for new Jewish artists and are asking readers to submit their suggestions.

Now, normally, it is hard for me to toot my own horn in this way. But the fact is that, living where and how I do, I am not a household name in Jewish music. And while I'm okay with where and how I live, I would very much love to be able to share my music with as many people as possible. So I'm inviting you to read this article:http://forward.com/opinion/310522/soundtrack/

-- and if you think more people should hear my music, would you mind offering me as a suggestion?

Is that even okay to ask? Is it presumptuous, cocky? Musicians have to be at least a little presumptuous, otherwise most of us would never leave the house to actually make music in public. I think that there's a fine line between cocky and simply marketing oneself. I hope that, by asking my readers to speak up on my behalf, I am erring on the right side of the line. And if I'm not I hope you'll tell me so.

Marketing yourself as a musician is hard, VERY hard. There's always the risk of rejection, to be sure; but there's an even greater risk of others seeing you as a blowhard. And yet, I believe that my music can make a difference, even a small one. So I continue to put myself out there.

If you want to nominate me but don't have a recording to share, I am making my song "Sparks" available this week for download so you can get it and then share it at the Forward's web site (there are restrictions on how large a file you can submit; "Sparks" is short enough to get in under the wire, and it remains one of my favorites).

Thanks in advance for your help with this! And I would be thrilled and grateful if you'd pleaseshare this postwith anyone you know who loves Jewish music and wants to help it grow.